Fall 2015
M R 10-1120
COR A129
Dr. Cam Owens
[email protected]
Office: DTB B210
Office hrs: M 3-5 pm
Policies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Late policy – 10%
penalty per day late for 3
days (for assignment).
Contact instructor before
Midterm if you must
miss (for legitimate,
documented reason).
Zero tolerance for late
final exams.
Plagiarism – zero
tolerance (see UVic’s
academic integrity
policy)
Accessibility – please
meet with instructor and
the Resource Centre for
Students with a
Disability early if you
may need
accommodation
Do your part to ensure
an engaging classroom.
Be punctual, respectful,
compassionate and
attentive.
Geog 306
Geography of Canada
Course Overview
Beyond a mere description of the geography of this vast country, this course interrogates Canada
both as an imagined (and contested) national space. We begin with an overview of the country’s
physical setting before exploring how Canadians have been shaped by and in turn have shaped the
landscape they inhabit for better or worse. We consider different imaginaries, myths, and
ideologies deployed in attempts to make sense of this place and define the country’s national
identity and direction. We then turn to explore some of the tensions or faultlines at the heart of the
Canadian social experience. Along the way we
grapple with some of the key issues facing
Canadians today and in the past. Intending neither
to be bombastically patriotic nor treasonously
cynical this course is sure to inspire important
new ways of seeing “Canada” and being
“Canadian”.
Assessment
1.! Midterm (25%) Oct 8th
2.! Op/Ed Assignment (30%) - Short,
informed opinion piece on a Canadian
issue (details will be provided in class). Due Dec 3. Note: you may submit your
assignment on Nov 5th. It will be reviewed and returned to you with suggestions for
improvement after which you can submit your final version on Dec 3.
3.! Final Exam (30%) – Take home exam given on Dec 3 and due on Dec 10.
4.! Participation (15%) – consists of quality of contribution to class room and / or online
forum discussion AND attending 2 relevant events during the term, writing up and
submitting a short well-written overview of the event, what you learned and how it
related to class.
Note on marks: A-level marks (80%+) reflect exceptional (beyond expectations), outstanding, or
at least highly competent efforts. B+/B level marks (73-79%) reflect good or at least acceptable
efforts (usually above the class average). B-/C+ level marks (65-72%) represent average efforts,
showing some understanding but deficient in some way. C/D level marks (50-64%) represent
passable but largely insufficient efforts, while F marks (<50%) represent failing the course.
Course readings
There is no text book for this course. Instead readings will be posted on the Course Spaces site.
Reading - and engaging with the readings (highlighting, underlining, taking good notes etc.) – is
essential for your enjoyment of and success in this course.
2
Notes on learning expectations
If some
countries
have too
much history,
we have too
much
Geography.
-
Mackenzie King,
Canada’s
longest serving
Prime Minister
1.! Think deeply about why you are here and what you want to get out of your experience at
UVic in the short time you’ll be here. Use this time wisely to develop marketable skills and
good habits - e.g. effective written and oral communication, critical thinking*, problem
solving, empathic listening, organization, perseverance, and initiative.
2.! I consider such skill development and good habit formation as being at least as important as
content mastery in this course. While I want you to learn important things about Canada’s
geography, I also want you to develop particular skills and habits. Keep in mind employers
are much more concerned with your skills and habits than your marks.
3.! Effective learning involves recognizing how the course material is directly relevant to your
life – in this case how your own story is weaved into the story of Canada and Canadians.
4.! *Note: critical thinking is often misrepresented as cynical, pessimistic, or “being against
things”. In this class it should rather be understood in terms of healthy skepticism with
received wisdom recognizing the world could / should be otherwise; ceaseless, piercing
questioning of status quo “common sense”; trying to make important linkages and
connections; recognizing and evaluating multiple perspectives and the values and assumptions
underlying each (including our own); evaluating evidence and arguments (while recognizing
power relations in knowledge claims), arriving at defensible positions on issues and working
towards a more respectful, inclusive, just, and fair world (or country in this case).
Tentative Schedule of Classes
Until the lion
learns to
speak, the
tales of
hunting will
be weak.
-
K’Naan – SomaliCanadian Rapper
Week 1
Week 2
Sept 7 – NO CLASS
Sept 14 – Canada’s Physical Setting
Sept 10 – Introduction
Sept 17 – Canada’s Physical Setting
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Sept 21 – Assignment introduced
Sept 28 – Human / Environment
relations
Oct 5 – Human / Environment relations
Sept 24 – Field Trip
Oct 1 – Human / Environment
relations
Oct 8 – MIDTERM
Week 6
Oct 12 – NO CLASS
Week 7
Week 10
Oct 19 – Canadian National Myths &
Identity
Oct 26 – Canadian National Myths &
Identity
Nov 2 – Indigenous- Non-Indigenous
Faultlines
Nov 9 – NO CLASS
Week 11
Week 12
Nov 16 – Other Cultural Faultlines
Nov 23 – Other Cultural Faultlines
Week 13
Nov 30 – Core - Periphery
Oct 14 – Intro to Canadian Identity &
Diversity
Oct 22 – Canadian National Myths &
Identity
Oct 29 - Canadian National Myths &
Identity
Nov 5 - Indigenous- Non-Indigenous
Faultlines
Nov 12 – Indigenous- Non-Indigenous
Faultlines
Nov 19 – Other Cultural Faultlines
Nov 26 –Core-periphery Faultline /
Canadian Regionalism
Dec 3 – Final Class
Week 8
Week 9
“The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing and protecting a positive and safe learning and working
environment for all its members.”
I value your feedback on this course. Towards the end of term, you will have the opportunity to complete an anonymous
survey regarding your learning experience (CES). The survey is vital to providing feedback to me regarding the course and
my teaching, as well as to help the department improve the overall program for students in the future. The survey is
accessed via MyPage and can be done on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device. I will remind you and provide you with
more detailed information nearer the time but please be thinking about this important activity during the course.